Recap: Lacazette wins Rhône Derby for Lyon

Olympique Lyonnais move into the top five in Ligue 1 with a Derby win against rivals Saint-Étienne at the Groupama Stadium.

Thanks to Alexandre Lacazette's first-half strike, Olympique Lyonnais came out as 1-0 winners in the return of the Rhône-Alps derby against Saint-Étienne. It was a big win for Pierre Sage's men, who moved into the top five in Ligue 1 as a result of the three points.

It was the first time that the two rivals faced off in Ligue 1 since February 2022 - as Les Gones aimed to further assert their dominance since learning of Sainté's promotion to the French top tier in the summer. With three years of waiting, it was certainly always going to be a tense affair at the Groupama Stadium.

Starting under a plume of smoke which delayed the start of the game, Rayan Cherki was first to turn up the heat with two explosive runs on the ten minute mark which was appreciated by the home faithful. But the away side wouldn't be tamed easily, Davitashvili threatening down the left side but Stassin sliced his cross at the near post.

OL didn't take long to respond. Larsonneur parried Tolisso's well-struck volley, but then Lacazette followed up with a strike which rebounded off the opposite post. Malick Fofana was dangerous down the wing, and the Sainté keeper had to be quick to deny the Belgian from close range.

IT JUST HAD TO BE HIM

As if it was a strike of destiny, Alexandre Lacazette would find the back of the net on his return to derby action since coming back to the club. From the corner, Caleta-Car played the ball back to Tolisso, who inadvertently flicked the ball to Lacazette. The Frenchman took advantage, finishing with his thigh to send the home Lyonnais supporters into raptures (29'). It was a deserved lead for an OL side that had been turning the pressure valve for several minutes. Rayan Cherki would strike well from a free-kick as Larsonneur scrambled to clear, and Maitland Niles volleyed back in for Caleta-Car to almost finish from the far post just before the break.

The second half saw some rearguard action from Les Verts. Lucas Perri had to be vigilant as Davitashvili threatened once more with some driving runs and a shot from range. Olivier Dall'Oglio would make the first change of the match to bring on Ibrahim Sissoko, but Les Verts could only find relative success from set-pieces. Les Gones thought they had doubled their lead, when Ernest Nuamah punished Larsonneur's mistake from a back-pass and Mikautadze provided the perfect opportunity for the Belgian to finish into an empty net. Yet, it would be ruled out by VAR which adjudged Mikautadze to have handballed in the build-up.

The scoreline remained 1-0 for Lyon, who saw out the game to win against Saint-Étienne 1024 days following their last encounter. It's not only bragging rights for Les Gones, who also climbed into the top five of the Ligue 1 table.

MATCH REACTION: ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE

“It makes you very happy, very proud. We wanted to win. Not everything was perfect tonight, it wasn't very beautiful, but we're happy.”

“Tonight was all about the heart. It was my first derby at the Groupama, and probably my last too. It was all about heart. I soaked up all the energy, from my family, from the stadium too. Having the fans here yesterday was great. And the confidence in the group to go out and win tonight.”

“My goal wasn't the prettiest, but it went in the top corner all the same! I was anticipating it because I know that Coco (Tolisso) isn't the king of turnovers, so I was expecting him to miss... well, not miss, but not take it perfectly. It's going fast out the back.”

THE STAT: FANTASTIC FIVE 

Lyon have not lost any of their last five Ligue 1 matches (3 wins, 2 draws) and have not enjoyed a longer unbeaten run since February - April 2023 (7 under Laurent Blanc). 

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